Newsletter: Essential California: What’s in your water?

Good morning. It is Friday, July 17. It’s a dangerous (and illegal) habit, but a new study finds one in 10 California drivers is texting, calling or fumbling with a cellphone while driving. Here's what is happening in the Golden State:

TOP STORIES

Hailing a ride

Uber and Lyft customers will no longer have to sneak onto hotel shuttles to call for a ride outside the boundaries of LAX. The Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners agreed to allow ride-sharing companies to pick up passengers beginning next month. It’s a major blow to the taxicab industry, which saw LAX as its last stronghold in the city. Los Angeles Times

Rides for all

The commission’s decision to allow Uber into LAX comes as state regulators are questioning whether the company is complying with civil rights regulations, something required of taxi companies. The Public Utilities Commission wants data that shows drivers accommodate the disabled and visually impaired, and that drivers aren’t declining to pick up passengers in high-crime areas. An administrative law judge has already said Uber should be suspended from operating if that information is not provided. Uber is appealing the decision. Los Angeles Times

Surfers’ paradise

In Lunada Bay near Palos Verdes Estates, middle-aged surfers bring a “gang mentality” to a surfing spot they believe belongs to them. And city officials and police appear to look the other way when other surfers make complaints. A Torrance-based attorney “has urged the city to issue a gang injunction against the Bay Boys to prevent them from congregating at Lunada Bay, but said the city refused to pursue the idea.” Los Angeles Times

DROUGHT

Legislative relief: What can the federal government do to help California through the drought? That’s what lawmakers are grappling with even as the House approved a drought-relief bill. “Congress cannot make it rain, but we can enact policies that expand our water infrastructure, allow for more water conveyance, and utilize legitimate science to ensure a reliable water supply for farmers and families,” said Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford), author of the bill. Los Angeles Times

Transport fee: As San Diego tries to reduce its reliance on water from the Metropolitan Water District, it has turned to the Imperial Irrigation District. Still, it needs MWD’s aqueduct to transport the water and on Wednesday a judge found that the MWD had overcharged San Diego for that privilege. If the ruling is upheld, San Diego would be due more than $188 million. Los Angeles Times

Contaminated water: Californians are relying on groundwater supplies more than ever during the drought, but a new survey finds natural contaminants like arsenic and uranium are highly concentrated in about 20% of the groundwater used for the public. Human-made contaminants like nitrate and organic solvents were found to be in high concentration in 5% of the supply. Los Angeles Times

Even worse than expected: New data suggests California has been gradually warming for the last 30 years. Warmer temperatures mean water evaporates more quickly, and that exacerbates the current drought conditions. CNBC

Spit shine: Some drivers believe a dirty car is a symbol of water conservation, but for those drivers who would like to clean up a bit, waterless products are gaining popularity. There are also dusters, similar to a hand mop, or covers that might keep some of the dirt off in the first place. Los Angeles Times

L.A. AT LARGE

River restoration: A $1.3-billion plan to make over the Los Angeles River received approval from the  Civil Works Review Board of the Army Corps of Engineers. Despite the approval, it is unclear who will pay for the work. Mayor Eric Garcetti had estimated the city’s tab to be $500 million, but a secondary report put the figure closer to $1.2 billion. Los Angeles Times

Water settlement: Actor Tom Selleck will pay the Calleguas Municipal Water District about $22,000 to settle allegations that he illegally took water from a fire hydrant for his 60-acre ranch in Ventura County. That’s how much the water district paid a private investigator to look into the case. Los Angeles Times

Underground economy: Street vendors may be operating illegally in the city of Los Angeles, but a new report finds they contribute $500 million a year to the local economy. The Bureau of Street Services estimates there are 50,000 vendors in the city selling everything from T-shirts to hot dogs. The report comes as the L.A. City Council considers whether to legalize sidewalk vendors. KCET

Homelessness as a crime: This in-depth piece looks at how a city dominated by Democrats has taken steps to criminalize homelessness without providing more affordable housing options. “George W. Bush would not do this stuff that the liberals in L.A. are doing,” said Gary Blasi with the Public Counsel law center. City Lab

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Powerful progressive: Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez may be the most powerful female politician in the state of California. Coming from a solidly blue district in San Diego, she’s been able to push progressive bills, from paid sick days to the tax on diapers. But in a twist, she has found it easier to work with Sacramento’s Republicans than its Democrats. “They're my friends, but we're coming from different places in life,” she said of her party colleagues. The Atlantic

Orange County politics: The mayor of Irvine plans to run for the state Assembly. Steven Choi is the third Republican to announce his campaign for the district that includes Anaheim Hills and Lake Forest. In Anaheim, Councilman Jordan Brandman will run for Rep. Loretta Sanchez’s seat. Former state Sen. Lou Correa previously announced that he too would run for the congressional seat as Sanchez is campaigning for the U.S. Senate. Orange County Register

Unfunded liability: The second-largest pension system in the country, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, earned a 4.5% return last year, missing its target of 7.5%. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that would require teachers and school districts to make higher payments into the retirement system. Bloomberg

CRIME AND COURTS

Selfie thief: Here’s a pro tip: if you’re going to commit a crime, don’t take a selfie in the act. One thief did as he swiped an iPhone from a Venice property. The owner was able to access his photos remotely and there’s where he saw a snapshot of the criminal in the victim’s living room. Los Angeles Times

Calculating worth: When a city’s attorneys negotiate a settlement with the victim of a police shooting, they consider a variety of factors -- how much were medical bills? What was the victim’s economic loss? From there, as seen in the police shooting in Gardena, it can get a bit more complicated. Los Angeles Times

Creating case law: Is a consent agreement from a reproductive center a binding contract or more like a medical directive that can be changed in the future? That question is at the center of a legal fight between a divorced couple over the fertilized embryos created during their marriage. Mimi Lee, who wants to keep the embryos, testified that she did not give much thought to the agreement she and Stephen Findley signed stating that they would destroy the embryos if they ever got divorced. Los Angeles Times

HOUSING

Vulnerable population: New statistics show San Francisco’s homeless are getting older and sicker. In the last two years, the overall population increased 4%. “Health issues that are in an aging population are not only more complicated but more expensive to deal with as a city. The longer people stay on our streets, the more vulnerable they are to developing these illnesses,” said Supervisor Mark Farrell. San Francisco Chronicle

Affordable housing: The fear of losing federal funds prompted the San Diego Housing Commission to spend $20 million to rehab a 100-year-old building into low-income housing. When the project called for about 90 units, commissioners rejected the plan as too expensive. Now that they need to spend the funds, the commission decided to move ahead with the development even though it was revised down to 73 apartment units. Voice of San Diego

SPORTS

What’s in a name: Under its long-term lease USC can sell naming rights to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and that’s what it now plans to do. The private university could make between $3 million and $7 million a year under the deal. Curbed LA

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Food aesthetic: The food that chef Jessica Koslow makes in her Los Angeles restaurant, Sqirl, is a reflection of California -- fresh, seasonal and relaxed. “It looked beautiful but also casual, as though it weren’t trying. Beauty that isn’t trying very hard (only, of course, it is) is how I would also describe the archetype of Southern California beauty.” Bloomberg

Family ties: Writer Dave Eggers visited the town of Hollister, which was founded in part by his great-grandfather. The New Yorker

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Diego will have low clouds and 77 degrees. Riverside will be sunny and 96 degrees. In Los Angeles, there will be low clouds followed by sun and 81 degrees. San Francisco will be 73 degrees and cloudy followed by sun.

AND FINALLY

Whether you are in San Francisco or Los Angeles or San Diego, if you’re trying to eat on $10 a day, tacos are going to find a way into your diet.

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Alice Walton or Shelby Grad.